British Arab Network Chairman Calls on Arab Governments to do more to help Syrian refugees in interview with AL Ghad Arabi TV

Dr. Wafik Moustafa, Chairman of the British Arab Network, has called for Arab Governments to do more to help Syrian refugees in an interview on Al Ghad Arabi TV.

Dr. Moustafa said:

“It was absolutely heartbreaking to see the photo of the 3 year old Syrian boy lying dead. Arab and European Governments must do more to help Syrian refugees. The criminal human trafficking gangs must be brought to justice. The crisis in Syria must be resolved through a political solution.”

Migrant crisis: Photo of drowned boy sparks outcry

3 September 2015 www.bbc.co.uk/news

At least 12 Syrians trying to reach Greece have drowned off Turkey after the boats they were travelling in sank.

An image of one of the victims – a young boy lying face down on the beach – has sparked an international outcry over the human cost of the crisis.

The picture, released by a Turkish news agency, is trending worldwide on Twitter under the #KiyiyaVuranInsanlik (“humanity washed ashore”) hashtag.

Thousands of migrants have died this year trying to reach Europe by sea.

The Turkish coastguard said the migrants had set off from Turkey’s Bodrum peninsula for the Greek island of Kos in the early hours of Wednesday morning, but the two boats they were in sank shortly afterwards.

Twelve bodies, including five children, were recovered. Of 23 people on board the two boats, only nine people are thought to have survived – some made it to shore with life jackets.

The image of the young boy, shown wearing a red T-shirt and lying face-down on the beach near Bodrum, was published shortly after the bodies washed up on shore at about 06:00 local time.

Turkish news agency Dogan said he and the rest of the group were Syrians from the besieged town of Kobane who had fled to Turkey last year to escape advancing militants from the Islamic State (IS) group.

Turkish media describe relatives breaking down as they identified the bodies.

The pictured boy is reported to be three-year-old Aylan, who drowned along with his five-year-old brother Galip and their mother, Rihan. Their father, Abdullah Kurdi, survived.